^{Democracy & Technology Blog} D.C. Telecom Item

There’s been much talk of a rewrite of the nation’s telecom laws in 2006, the 10th anniversary of the 96 Act. But last week in Washington, D.C., a senior official told Hance Haney, George Gilder, and me: “I think there’s a possibility there won’t be another telecom act — ever.” With politicians on Capitol Hill so disorganized, with the Administration’s time and energy consumed by other issues, with technology moving infinitely faster than politics, could this be?

If so, it means the burden is on the FCC to hold the line and deregulate new technologies and new services. It also means states can’t wait for the federal government to act. Aggressive states, in fact, can now distinguish themselves and steal investment dollars from their complacent neighbors. Texas, Missouri, Oklahoma, and others — about 13 in all — have already made reforms to one degree or another.

-Bret Swanson